CENTRAL CHINA’S Hubei Province announced differentiated business and production resumption plans based on the epidemic situations of the counties in the province and continued to postpone the opening of schools, said the provincial epidemic prevention and control headquarters yesterday.

According to the plans, Wuhan, the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak, allows businesses that support the supply of medical resources, daily necessities and agricultural materials to return to work. Enterprises that are related to the national economy, people’s livelihoods and the global industrial chain are also encouraged to gradually resume operations with approval.

Companies in Wuhan that have not been shuttered since the Spring Festival may continue production. Otherwise, other enterprises are not allowed to resume business until March 21.

In other high-risk regions outside Wuhan, enterprises that are important to the epidemic control and prevention efforts, public services, people’s livelihoods and agricultural production will resume production. Businesses in finance, insurance, ports and freight stations and key industrial chain supporting firms will also return to operation gradually.

In low- and medium-risk regions in Hubei, service-oriented industries such as information technology, and legal and accounting services can resume orderly operation. However, resumption of work is not allowed at places that encourage gatherings such as theatres, bookstores, fitness centers and restaurants before the situation significantly improves.

Hubei will continue the strict control of its people leaving the province and is now adopting a differentiated personnel control policy via a mobile app, each resident of the province will be granted a colored QR health code, allowing healthy people from medium- and low-risk areas to travel within the province.

Passenger flights, trains, buses and ships will gradually resume operations in low- and medium-risk regions in Hubei while Wuhan and other high-risk regions will continue to ban the services. (Xinhua)